CHAPTER FIVE

Everywhere Thaddeus looked was thick, black and acrid smoke, he saw the labyrinth-like ruins of the once-glorious streets in the black smog. Walking as fast as his legs could carry him through the unbearable heat that made his shirts almost instantly drenched in sweat, the fear of his last encounter at the alley still lingered in his head. The farther he walked, the more fearful he became of finding himself surrounded by the bigger boys.

He turned right down the alley and came to a fork. After a quick prayer, he took his left. He blamed his terrible decision to follow this alley which was the shortest route home, yet the most dangerous and unpredictable on the evil boys. They were evil, no argument. He glanced to his side where he thought he'd heard a thump. He could see two figures racing towards him through the smoke. He heard something whiz by his head, punches flew by. Both figures fell in succession, the scene before him was an absolute mayhem. The guys had a lot to settle with punches.

Finally, blue and red flashed everywhere. Thaddeus saw a few police cars near the exit, a sense of relief flushed over his system. The bigger boys in alley disappeared into the smoke, just like they'd appeared. Except this time, it was silent and ghostly. The motorcycle cops approached rapidly, they slowed as they patrolled the alley.  Thaddeus made a dash for the motorcycle, the cops saw his little figure and could only pity a boy caught at the wrong place and at a wrong time. The motorcycle picked fretting Thaddeus and rode him home; he could only the grateful for the timely divine intervention.

He turned to his side again. He'd heard a thump but could see nothing, despite the footsteps he heard. Then it disappeared. Within moments again, it appeared. Thaddeus heard the noise in crescendo. Soft thuds that became heavy hurrying footsteps, perhaps someone was running. A dream?

"Hey!"

The voice banged him from his sleep into consciousness. He looked at the clock; perhaps his little mind was playing tricks on his head as it used to when he refused to wake, but not this time. His eyelids were still heavy but he managed to look at the direction of where his sister laid. No argument, he was dreaming. The clock was beeping 01:26 am. Maybe he needed more rest. Barely has his head touched the pillow when he heard it again.

"Stop!"

Momma was by the window. She sprang up to the switch and turned it off. Then as if she was being listened to, she tiptoed to the window and flipped the cotton curtain so she could peep through. It was the first thing she noticed.

The sky was dark, except for the moon that shone like a shiny whitish-silver plate hovering on a spot in the black atmosphere. It was coupled with stars that looked like sprinkled gold dust on the sky. Something tore through the dark atmosphere, tearing across the black clouds like she was looking at a missile in slow motion, it was a shooting star. That was not the issue.

She traced her eyes to the road which was littered with papers and debris that flew around in the gentle breeze between our house and the next. The street was greenish-gold, illuminated by the almost fallen streetlamps that half revealed all things below them in an airy greenish-gold; Thaddeus spotted a man standing with his two hands up and another behind him, pointing a revolver just down the road. He saw all things in greenish gold but these men, in this situation was as clear as the brightest star in the darkest sky. He might be witnessing something more than what he thought it was; a murder. It was quite unbearable as it would be entertaining that it was occurring at their window side. They would be grateful later that their bedroom was three floors atop...

"I said do not move!"

They heard the voice come from the man behind, holding a revolver. He wore a black hat on a coated body. The hat did a good job of hiding his face from mommas view.   

"Kneel!" he said as he walked towards the man who was kneeling before him, holstering his weapon unflinchingly. 

Momma grabbed a view of the kneeling man. God! She has seen that face before It looked like Richard. It was him! She was so sure. He'd relocated from Virginia to this street, as hed always claimed at church. His families were based in Virginia; at least that was what was rumored about him. He cared for nobody else and he had the feeling that money was the key to all things.  Such a rich young man like this would not get involved in trouble that was bigger than his money, if there indeed existed one. So how come was he kneeling before a man with a revolver pointed at his head on a Thursday morning. What the...

Sarah had immediately ducked Thaddeus, Tonya and little Shanice behind the couch. 

Almost instantly, the moment the revolver touched Richards head; he'd grabbed it with a fast movement and pointed it upwards. He turned the revolver so it would twist the other man's finger, making him drop the weapon from the pain it would have caused. But the wielder of the weapon was not a mere tout; he still grabbed onto it and tried forcing it down Richard's head. The gun pointed higher as Richard stood up. She heard a groan before she discovered Richard had kicked him in the groin. She flinched like she'd felt the kick in her groin too.

More scuffle, the revolver pointed down and up and left and right- in all directions the opposing force of two men could point it, sending bullets in every directions. A bullet had whized past momma's head and shattered their already cracked window. She'd immidiately ducked her kids behind the old couch.

"Stay here!" She whispered. Then she went to peep again.

Richard held the revolver in one hand, still pulling, as he delivered a fist to the other mans lower chin and a stamp to his chest at the same time with his foot. The man staggered back, concentrating from falling. He looked at his hand and then at Richard who was aiming the revolver at his head. He smiled…

Momma had seen enough.  She walked to Tonya's desk and groped for the phone. She would dial 91...

There were shots and she jumped to the floor in an attempt to rescue herself. Now was not the time for memories, she crawled to where she'd heard the phone land when it flew from her grip like it was conscious of what was happening. She took it and dialed it immediately: 911. Her sight caught a glance at the clock. It was 01:50 am. She'd already pressed the dial button and was scuffling her way to the window when she heard the phone say:

"The number you dialed does not exist, please check the number and try again."

She hurried to the phone and looked at the screen. Was she foolish or was it tension at the time of turmoil? She saw what she had dialed; it stared back at her 91911. She immediately punched the exit key and dialed 911 and hit the dial button. She took the phone with her to the window, carefully avoiding her feet from being cut by the shards of glass on the floor. She shuddered as she heard two consecutive shots under a scream that sounded like Richard's.

Thaddeus could not hold it anymore. He hurried past his mom, not carimg about the shards and peeped out the window in curiosity. He gasped in horror.

Richard was atop the other man, the other man just laid there motionless; blood leaked from his almost distorted face. Just then he saw two dark red spots on the other mans body, it must have been the bullet holes from the shots he heard. Richard had shot the other man

"Are you there? Report your emergency." The voice over the phone called out. It was the 911 mom had dialed earlier.

"There's been a..." she sniffed in a sudden pause. She was contemplating what to say. "He shot the other man."

"Where are you now?"

Mom couldnt think clearly but she managed to say, "Church", she sniffed again "by my window". She dropped the phone and heard it fall on the shards of broken glass on the floor.

 

The atmosphere was suddenly calm. The world was like it has paused in its track. The moon that shone in the sky was now swallowed by darkness and no stars to prove it. Then the air was becoming cold, blowing on like it had a secret to tell. Thaddeus looked down at the man below. The body made the greenish-gold environment which was once appealing look like a bright red passage to hell as blood flowed from the blood like a river down the street. From distance, crows guffawed.